From the moment I heard the first song of the opening song “I was walking far from home”, I can say I fell for the new Samuel Beam’s album. Kiss Each Other Clean is the most mature and interesting Iron & Wine album of all. Beam calls it “more of a focused pop record” (from SPIN interview). Great storytelling in the songs, a real high-quality narrative. Melodies are really more pop and sing-along-friendly. Soothing folk that in 2007 on “The Shepherd’s Dog” toyed with dub and African styles, changed with the pleasing ballad sound. This can be explained both by internal factors and label change (formerly released on Sub Pop, Iron & Wine now makes a Warner Bros. debut).

Me And Lazarus explored a jazzy side a bit, the final Your Fake Name Is Good Enough For Me keeps up with jazz. The 7-minute track is fully justified, presenting us with the real rampage of colors. Like all truly great works, Kiss Each Other Clean doesn’t stay with a specific timeline. It’s by any means no signature 2010s sound, but also not that of the 70s (though there are hints). The album might be missed in the top lists of 2011, but it’s good on its own – good just the way it is, it will always sound without any context of the so-called music eras. I love it for the lyrics and for the balance – not too poppy, not too intellectual, not sleepy and not high-energy. In the soft golden “middle”.